Anthony J. Macaluso, physical therapist with Orthopaedic Physical Therapy of New Orleans, talks about the wear and tear that full-time desk jobs place on our backs and necks, and little things we can do to mitigate the damage.

The Times-Picayune ArchiveAnthony Macaluso says that doing a few simple exercises at your desk every hour can keep you out of the physical therapist's office for good.

Q: What are some of the most common back problems you see in people who sit at desks all day?

A: We’ll have people with back pain, we’ll have buttock pain, we’ll have thigh pain — you name it, it can go all the way down to the toes. And in addition to the pain, we can also have numbness and tingling.

Q: What causes this?

A: Because of our industrialized world, we do a lot of sitting. We’re not as active as we should be. We’re in a bent-forward position all day, and then when we get off of work, what do we normally do? We go home and we sit in a chair, so we’re still in this hunched posture. It puts so much stress on the neck and the back.

Q: What are some ways to avoid getting even mild symptoms?

A: You want to sit up straight. I tell people if you have an adjustable chair, bring it all the way down to where you’re sitting with both of your feet on the ground, preferably where your thighs are not being pressed into the chair.

Q: If you do start having pain, what’s the best way to mitigate?

A: For the neck, we do what we call the neck retraction – it’s like tucking your chin in and back. (Do) 10 repetitions every hour that you’re awake, and that will release the stressors from sitting slouched, to the neck. For the back, we call it a backward bend. You stand up, you put your hands on your hips, and you bend backwards at your back. Do about 10 of those every hour. That reverses the stressors to your lower back as well. It’s kind of like one of those secrets: If you do that, you may never have to see people like me.